Pubdate: Tue, 22 Jul 2008
Source: Dominican Today (Dominican Republic)
Copyright: 2008 Dominican Today
Contact: http://www.dominicantoday.com/app/contact.aspx
Website: http://www.dominicantoday.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4101

DOMINICAN OFFICIAL RAILS THE U.S. EMBASSY'S "STUPID"  PROTEST ON EXTRADITION

SANTO DOMINGO.- The Presidency's Narcotics Adviser yesterday said the 
United States embassy disrespects the government when "through a 
stupid diplomatic note" attributes responsibility for a Supreme Court 
sentence that declined to extradite a Dominican implicated in a 
drug-trafficking case in that nation.

Marino Vinicio Castillo complained that the U.S. diplomatic 
representation didn't proceed in the same way during ex president 
Hipolito Mejia's administration when, according to the official, the 
extradition treaty "was a dead letter."

"The United States embassy has made a demand that's not noble, when 
it should have respect for the government of Leonel Fernandez," the 
Cabinet level minister said, and noted that it has been this 
administration that has created the bases so that the figure of 
extradition is respected, especially in the drug-trafficking cases.

He said the Penal Procedural Code in effect stipulates that it's the 
Supreme Court which decides on the extradition of a Dominican and not 
the Executive Branch, to respect the separation of State powers. "How 
are they going to ask the Executive in a disrespectful manner on an 
extradition question which another power of the State has decided."

Castillo said the complaint comes "from the same embassy that didn't 
say not even  half a word when Hipolito Mejia issued two decrees 
motivated to deny the extradition of a citizen from Moca (north) 
implicated in the Quirino case," of which he said didn't have many 
details.  "To him (Mejia) they never said anything because he was in 
the coalition of Iraq."

He added that Fernandez hasn't refused to comply with a single 
extradition request.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart